SHOPPING • November 2023

The Club’s big Christmas checklist

Ready to make this Christmas your most sorted yet? The British Airways shopping portal has every retailer imaginable to fulfil your Yuletide needs – and you might just collect enough Avios to fuel a 2024 trip, too…

Pop to the panto

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without seeing a pantomime. Oh no it’s not. Oh yes it is! This year, take the family to see a delightful matinee or jump into an evening show for a night full of laughs. You can catch some of the more traditional pantos – à la Snow White, Peter Pan or Dick Whittington – using ATG tickets, where you collect up to three Avios for every £1 you spend.

A luxury countdown

No longer a mere milk chocolate confection, advent calendars today have become luxury items. Treat yourself, or someone else, to a fancy version – full of products to help you feel your finest in time for the 25th. At Liberty London, there’s the calendar for ‘him’ designed to mimic the frontage of the legendary lifestyle emporium (which will get you 12 Avios per £1 spent) or a beauty-product-packed calendar for ‘her’ at Selfridges, where up to 16 Avios per £1 spent can be collected when you buy online.

Deck your halls

That pine tree in your home isn’t the only thing that can be seasonally decorated, you know. Extend your artistic vision to the rest of the sitting room by throwing up some fairy lights from everyone’s favourite Marks & Spencer (collect up to three Avios per £1 spent). Once you’re done lighting things up, jazz up your coaster collection with help from Harrods (up to 17 Avios per £1 spent) and spice up the hallway with a festive new door mat from H&M (up to five Avios per £1 spent).

Treat your feet

Keep those tootsies warm and stylish with a new pair of comfy slippers that you can wear long into the New Year. Tasman Regenerate shoes from UGG will keep cold feet at bay during Christmas and will see your balance boosted by up to three Avios for every £1 you spend. You could also give the perfect winter gift of a hot water bottle and socks gift set from Ted Baker, with up to two Avios collected for every £1 you spend.

Walk off the Christmas dinner

Take in historic English architecture and nab some gifts from the shop while you’re at it using a new membership with English Heritage – it’ll get you up to five Avios per £1 you spend. Or join the National Trust (collect three Avios per £1 spent) and support the conservation of iconic buildings and grounds while getting your quota of daily fresh air.

Top up your drinks trolley

Picture this: a crackling fire, your go-to festive flick and a glass of the finest fizz – wintertime perfection, right? Whether you’re planning a party or braced for an impromptu Christmas bash, ensure your drinks trolley is fully stocked to house all your favourite tipples. Our top pick is the Festive Elegance Hamper from The Wine Flyer (collect up to five Avios per £1 spent), featuring a classic Bordeaux red, crisp Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial Champagne and even our very own Speedbird OG Transatlantic IPA – and more – in a beautiful wooden gift box. Need the drinks trolley itself? This marble and brass number from John Lewis (earning you up to two Avios per £1 spent) is a touch of pure Gatsby.

It’s all about the prep

Skip the holiday rush and last-minute supermarket dash by securing your Christmas food delivery slot well ahead of time for a hassle-free time. With a Sainsbury’s online shop (collect up to ten Avios per £1 spent), you can relax, knowing that your Christmas essentials are en-route to your door when you want them. Plus, don’t forget you can collect Nectar points while you’re at it (and convert them into Avios for extra perks). We’ll cheers to that.

Upgrade your gadgets

Are you in charge of Christmas lunch this year? Up your kitchen gadget game for a seamless feast prep, whether it’s for a cosy twosome or the whole extended family. This trusty Smart Meat Thermometer by Meater from Currys comes with four temperature probes and features a guided cook step to help you roast your turkey to juicy perfection (collect up to three Avios for every £1 spent). A meat thermometer is for life, not just for Christmas.

Did somebody say?

That’s right – it’s Christmas Eve, and you don’t intend to so much as look at the oven until the big day itself. Simply head online, find your dream cuisine, and order away with JustEat – which will follow up with the sweet dessert of up to 25 Avios per £1 spent on family-favourite, stress-free, straight-to-your-door grub. If you’re loyal to Deliveroo, that’ll get you Avios, too (collect up to seven Avios per £1 spent) and pizza loyalists fear not: Dominos offers one Avios for every £1 of doughy goodness.

The game is on

You’ve exhausted the movies and, somehow, the food – now it’s board game time. The Entertainer (collect three Avios per £1 spent) has classics such as Trivial Pursuits, Monopoly and even Twister, if you’re feeling limber after a port (or three). It also stocks the official Traitors board game for fans of the sneaky hit show. Departure hall favourite WHSmith (pick up five Avios for every £1 you spend), meanwhile, will kit out your games cupboard with Cluedo, Scrabble and Guess Who?, although families willing to take a punt on something a bit less traditional should head to John Lewis – which has all the latest games.

Ring in the New Year

It’s a new year, a fresh start, and perfect opportunity to style yourself in some new clobber, too. If you’re hoping to start as you mean to go on, check out the collection at & Other Stories, whose high-quality garments you can restyle to the tune of many a compliment throughout the rest of the year (collect up to five Avios per £1 spent). For a relaxed suit, try our friends at Paul Smith, offering ten Avios for every £1 spent.